Teamsters Union says Harris accepted offer to meet with its leaders
According to the union, Vice President Kamala Harris has accepted an offer from Teamsters union leadership to hold a roundtable discussion.
No date has been set for the meeting with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a powerful union with about 1.3 million members. Ms. Harris has sought to win support from labor unions, a key voting bloc with outsized influence in swing states such as Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Other major unions, including the United Automobile Workers and the AFL-CIO, have thrown their weight behind Ms. Harris. The Teamsters, which backed President Biden in 2020, have not endorsed a presidential candidate in this election.
“We look forward to Vice President Harris joining a roundtable discussion with rank-and-file Teamsters to discuss the issues important to workers,” Kara Deniz, a Teamsters spokeswoman, said in a statement Friday.
Harris’ campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
Teamsters President Sean O’Brien spoke at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last month, drawing criticism from union members. He also requested a speaking slot at the Democratic convention, which begins Monday in Chicago. A final list of speakers has not yet been released.
On Tuesday, the Teamsters National Black Caucus endorsed Ms. Harris’ campaign, setting her apart from the rest of the union.
Mr. Biden has often claimed that he leads the most pro-union administration in the country’s history. Ms. Harris, as Mr. Biden’s governing partner, has capitalized on that impression, with the Black caucus citing Mr. Biden’s position on labor in its endorsement.
The Teamsters were on a path to at least a break with Mr. Trump, if not an endorsement from Ms. Harris. The former president recently voiced support for firing striking workers during a call with Elon Musk. The Teamsters responded on social media with a line from Mr. O’Brien’s speech at the Republican convention: “Corporations are firing workers who try to join unions and hide behind toothless laws that are meant to protect working people but are manipulated to benefit corporations. This is economic terrorism.”
Mr. O’Brien has previously indicated that he would be open to supporting Mr. Trump, with whom he met privately earlier this year. Mr. Trump has sought to garner support from labor unions, which have historically been a Democratic constituency.
Jonathan Weisman contributed to the reporting.
